FREDERICTON — New Brunswick's Progressive Conservative leader was targeted by his two main opponents during Wednesday's roundtable discussion, forced to defend his record on issues such as health care, housing and public safety. Premier since 2018, Blaine Higgs is asking voters for a third term in office, and he regularly boasted to the two other party leaders that his six balanced budgets have permitted his government to save money on debt payments and make important investments in such things as the health system. "But there is more to do," Higgs said, adding that the province's two health networks have to learn to work together instead of in competition.
Liberal Leader Susan Holt shot back quickly, saying little has improved in six years and that nurses "don't trust you." "You've completely disrespected nurses," the Liberal leader said during the discussion at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, hosted by CTV.
"You told them that if they wanted to earn more money they should move to Alberta." When the two health networks presented Higgs with ways to improve working conditions for nurses, she said, "you rejected every single one and chose to spend $173 million on travel nurses." Green Party Leader David Coon told Higgs about a person he met who waited 27 hours for care at the Dr.
Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton. "We are in a state of emergency with our health-care system, we need to treat it with that kind of urgency," Coon said, adding that his party .